Lock for elevator doors



April 1929- J. A. SCHWE IG LUCK FDR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed May 21, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet Ami/V701? 4 5 April 16, 1929. J. A. SCHWEIG 1,709,596

' LOOK FOR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed May 21, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 2 /N v15 NTO ns fiTTo ems rs April 16, 1929. J; A. SCHWEIG I LOCK FOR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed May 21, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 'lllllxugvl.

. a. [ll l l l l I I I. ll I J I z I I l I l I l l IV I l l l l 4 ig u v NIIJIJ .LII..111..\Q\ n y i lll n lrl L..\ 5 fl an 4 M .M. aw, J 0 A 7 4 a 5 m 5 u way? 1 4 Hxwhdfl 3 Patented Apr. 16, 192 9 UNITED ,STATES- JULIUS A. 'SCHWEIG, ors'r. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

LOOK FOR ELEvAronnoons.

Application filed May 21,

This invention relates to looks for elevator doors. One ofthe principal objectsof the present invention is to provide a cheap and efiicient lock which will prevent the'opening of the elevator doors when the car is not at a landing and which will prevent the operationof the elevator until all of the doors in the shaft are closed and locked. Another object is to prevent the lock and the switch associated therewith frombeing closed when the door is opened. Other objects are simplicity of construction, ease of assembly and installation, and compactness and economy of design. The invention consists in the lock and switch mechanism and the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. f

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer tolike parts wherever they occur; V

Fig. 1 is an interior view of a portion of an elevator shaft at one of the door openings,

showing a locking device embodying my in vention mounted in the shaft in position to cooperate with the latch bar of" a' vertical sliding door;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the shaft side of the lock and the parts associated a0 therewith, the cover plate being shown removed and the lock being shown in unlocked position; d

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the lock on the line 33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, through the door opening showingthe position of the parts wlienthe car is at the landing and the vertical sliding door is opened; d V Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the position of theparts after the car has left the landing and the door is closed; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through one side of the door opening on the line 66 in a ong each vertical edge with an angle bar s de frame member 5 shdably' arranged, he-

192s. Serial No. 279,255. I

tween angle bar guides 6 that are rigidly secured to each other and to the adjacent The door is provided with a latchdevice .comprising an operating lever 11, which is pivotally mounted for vertical swinging movementon the shaft side'of the lower door section 4 near the middle. of its upper end portion, and oppositely extending -hori-' zontally slidable latch bars 12, 12, whose inner ends (are pivotally' connected to the respective upper and lowerarms of said operating lever. The free outer end portions of the latch bars 12 are slidably supported on rollers 13 mounted on theshaft side of the lower door section 4 and are adapted to be slid beyondtheside edgesof said sectioninto engagement with suitable catches provided therefor'at the sides of the door opening: when the upper or handle end of the operating lever is swung upwardly. ()ne end of a C011 spring 14 is attached to one of the latch bars 12 and its other end is secured to a bracket 15 riveted to the shaft side of the lower door section, the ,parts being arranged so that the spring 14'tends'to exert an out- Ward pull on the latch bar and thus'normally tends to hold the same in its projected position, The outerend of each horizontally slidable latch bar12 is provided at its upper edge with a notch '16 forming a hooked end portion adapted in the latched or projected position of thelatch bar, to cooperate with a locking dev1ce,'which prevents unlocking of the door latching device when the elevatorcar. is not ata landing and which also pr events the operation of the electric elevator until all the doors in the elevator shaft are closed andlocked. Said locking device com- -prisesa box or casing 17, which is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to one of the angle bar door guides 6 .in position to cooperate with the notched outer end of the latch bar 12 the projected position thereof; I

side of the casing which faces the outer end of the latch bar is provided with an opening 18 adapted to receive the outer hooked end of said bar; and the shaft side of said casing is provided with an opening which is closed by means of a removable cover plate 19.

As shown in the drawing, the lower end of the front side wall of the lock casing 17 is provided with a beveled surface 17, adapted to be engaged by the outer end of the latch bar 12 during the closing movement of the lower door section to cause said bar to slide inwardly against the pressure of the spring '14-. The latch bar 12 is held in its retracted of ,thearm 20 is 'joujrnaled on a horizontal pivot 21 fixed to the lock casing; and interposed between the inner edge of said arm and a lug 22 in said casingis a coil spring 23, which operates to swing the upper end of said armtowarcsthe outer end of the latch bar. Pivotally mounted ina vertical slot provided therefor in theuppcr end of the arm is a catch 24;, whose outer arm terminates in a downwardly projecting hook 25 adapted to seat in the notch: 16 in the outer end of the latch bar in the projected or latched position thereof. The inner arm of the catch 24 is adapted to abut against an inclined surface 26 formed at the top wall of the'la'tch bar receiving opening 18 in the 1001; casing when the latch bar 12 is retracted and the catch supporting arm 20 is swung forward by the action of the spring 23, thus causing the hooked end of said catch to swing upwardly clear of the notch 16 in said bar afte said hooked end is moved clear of said opening. YVhenthe catch supporting arm is swung rearwardly by the pressure of the latch bar thercagainst, the catch 24 is carried rearwardly through the opening 18 in the lock casing 17,. and the hooked end of said catch is permitted to swing downwardly into interlocking engagement with the notch 16 in the outer end of said latch bar. I M

Mounted on aroclr shaft 27 journaled in the lock casing 17 above the upperend of the latch supporting arm 20 and extending at right angles to the horizontal pivot thcrefor is a lever 28 having a downwardly extending lock arm 29 adapted to swing in front ofthe upper end of the catch supporting arm 20 in the rearward position thereof and thus prevent forward swinging movement thereof.

Rigidly secured to the shaft side of the upwardly extending arm 30 of the lock lever 28 is a fiber insulating block 31 which carries a pin 32 upon whose outer end is sleeved a metal contact plate 33. The contact plate 33, which forms one element of an electric switch, is preferably held on the pin 32 by means of a cotter pin 34; and a coil spring 35 is mountedonsaidpin between the insulatingblocl'r 31 and the'contact plate 33 for yieldably holding said plate in its outermost position. The other element of the electric switch'comprises two contact members or posts 36 mounted on a'fiber insulating block 37 which spans the lock casing 17 from side wall to side wall and is removably cured thereto by meansof screws 38. The contact or rrying lock lever 28 is swung into a position with its lock arm 29 in front of the upper armof the catch supporting arm 20 to prevent forward swinging movement thereof. By means of a coil spring 39, which is sleeved on the rock shaft 27Vfor said lever with'one end bearing against alug h) on the side Wall of the lock casing and with the other end hooked over the shaft side of the lockarm of said contact carrying lock lever. As shown in the drawings, the stationary contact posts 36 are'mpunte'd on plates ll that are provided with binding posts 12 which receive the wires of an electric circuit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the electric elevator.

The rock shaft 27 for the contact carryinglock lever 28 projects beyond the rear side wall of the lock casing and has a release arm 43 fixed thereto. Said arm preferably comprises a lower inner section fixed to the rock shaft 27 and an upper or outer section A l, which is adj ustably secured to the outer end of the inner section and carries a cam roller 44 at its outer end. The outer end of the release arm 43 projects inwardly into the elevator shaft 1 with its roller i l in position to be engaged by a retiring cam 45 mounted on the elevator car or cage. As shown in the drawing, the retiring cam comprises a vertically disposed cam plate that is secured to the elevator car 2 by parallel links 46, whereby said cam is adapted to be swunginto and out of engagement with the cam roller 44? on the release arm 43 of the look when the car is at the landing. The retiring cam plate 45 is swung inwardly and upwardly to cle r the cam roller 44 preferably by means of a chain 47 whose lower end is secured to the upper link of the pair 46 and whose upper end cooperates with the motor (not shown) mounted on the elevator car. By this arrangement, the operation of stopping the car at the landing releases the chain 16 and thus permits the retiring cam $5 to swing outwardly and downwardly under the action of gravity into engagement with the cam roller 44 on the release arm 43 of the lock, which action rotates the rock shaft 27 and causes the'lock arm 29 of lever 28 fixed thereon to swing clear of the path of the catch supporting arm 20 and permit the same to swing to unlocked position. When the car is started, the chain 47 is tightened, thereby causing the cam to swing clear of the cam roller. As shown in'the drawing, stops 47 are provided for limiting the downward movement of the cam.

The upper end of the catch supporting arm 20 is provided with a pin 48 which projects rearwardly t-hrough an elongated slot 49 provided therefor in the rear side wall of the lock casing 17. In the locked position of the lock catch supporting arm 20, the pin 48 on the upper end thereof projects beyond the rear side wall of the casing, while in the unlocked position of said arm, said pin is positioned with its free end substantially flush with the outer surface of said side walls of said casing. Located alongside the rear side wall of the lock casing is an upright bar 50 whose upper end portion has a slotand-pin connection 51 with thelock casing, and whose lower end portion has a slot-andpin connection 52 with a bracket 53 fixed to the angle bar door guides 6. The upper'end of the vertical or upright slide bar 50 is provided with a hook 54, which extends into the elevator shaft 1 into the path of the ad Vjacent door arm 10 of the lower door'section 4, whereby said bar is adapted to be suspended from said door arm in the closed po-, sition' of said door section. As shown in the drawings, the slots ofv the upperand and, inwardly towards the elevator shaft when the lower door section is closed and moves downward and-outward with respect to said shaft when said lower section is opened.- With this arrangement the unslotted portion of thebar 5.0 is .located 0p- 'posite the end of the pin 48 on the catch supporting arm-20 in the open position of the door and thus prevents movement of said arm to locking position, while the slot of the slot-andpin connection 51 'between said bar and the lock casing is shaped and arranged to register with saidpin in the closed position of the door, thereby permitting said arm to move to locking position when the door is closed. The lock casing is provided with an outstanding lug 55 adapted to be engaged by the bar 50 to limit downwardly sliding movement thereof. It is noted that the upright bar is made long enough to extend below the door arm of the lower section in the fully opened position thereof, in which position the door arm is substantially in contact with the shaft side of said bar and thus prevents said bar from being shifted in the direction of the shaft to bring the slot of the slot-and-pin connection 51 into registerwith the pin 48 on the catch supporting arm 20.

The operation of the device is as follows: lVhen the car stops at the landing, the retiring cam 45 is automatically released and swings outwardly into engagement with the cam roller 44 on theouter end of the release arm 43 and causes the upper arm of the rock lever 28 on the rock shaft27 to swing awayfrom the contact posts 36 mounted on the lock casing, which action breaksthe conprevented from outward swinging position by the pressure exerted'thereagainst by the spring-pressed latch bar 12. The operating lever 11 is then operated to cause the latch bar to slide inwardly against the pressure of the spring 14, which action, due to the interlocking engagement of the hooked ends of the latch bar and the catch 24 on the supporting arm 20 therefor, causes said catch to travel outwardly through theopening 18 in the lock casing. During the outward travel of the catch 24, the upwardly inclined inner arm thereof abuts against the beveled surface 26 of the opening 18 in the lock casing and is'forced downwardly, thereby causing the hook- 25 on the outer arm of said catchlto swing upwardlyout of engagement with the notch 16 at the outer end of the latch bar. In the releasedor unlocked position of the catch supporting arm, the upper end thereof is positioned across the free end of the lock arm 29 of the rock lever- 28 and thus prevents said leverfrom.

being swung in a direction which will close the electric circuit which controls the operation of the elevator.

The counterweighted door'sections 3 and 4. are then separated by a downward pre sure on the lower door section 4, which action causes the door arm 10- of the lower section, together with the upright barv 50 supportedgthereon, to move downwardly. Dur

ing this downward movement of the upright movable bar 50, the inclined portions .of the slots of the slotand-pinconnections iio prevent said bar from being shifted to bring the slot therein in register with the pin 48 on the catch supporting arm 20.

hen the door is closed the vertically movable bar 50 is carried upwardly with the lower door section and is moved inwardly by the action of the slot-and-pin connections into a position which will bring the upper slot into a position opposite the end of the pin 48 on the catch supporting arm 20. In this position the latch bar 12 is automatically slid into abutting'relation with the catch supporting arm 20, thereby forcing said arm to swing inwardly and carry the catch 24. thereon rcarwardly into the opening 18 in the lock, casing. During the rearward travel of the catch 24, the hooked outer end of the catch. swings downs wardly into engagement with the notch in the latch bar and the pin 48 on the upper end of the catch supporing arm extends through the upper slot in the vertic-ally movable bar. WVhen the catch supporting arm 20 has moved to locking position, the upper end thereof will have moved clear of the lock arm 29 of the contact carrying lever 28. The starting mechanism of the elevator is then actuated thus disengaging the cam from the roller 44; on the release arm, whereuponthe lever 28 swings into a position with its lower arm in front of the 'catchsupporting arm 20 and with its upper switch supporting arm in position to bringthe plate 33 therein into contact with the posts 66. With the posts thus positioned the electric circuit of the elevator is closed and the car then leaves the landin The hereinbefore described arrangement admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention; therefor I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement shown and described.

What I claim is: 1. In an electric elevator, a shaft, a car working therein, doors for closing the door openings in said shaft, a slidable latch bar for each door, an arm mounted for swinging movement towards and away from the end of said latch bar, a catch mounted on said arm and adapted to move into engagement with said latch bar when the arm is swung rearwardly under pressure of said bar, a lever mounted for swinging movement on an axis disposed at right angles to the axis of the catch supporting arm, and a switch for making and breaking an electric circuit controlling the operation of the elevator car, one element of said. switch being stationary and the other element thereof being mounted on one arm of said lever for movement therewith'into'and out of engagement with said stationary element, the free end of said catch supporting arm and the other arm of said lever being disposed in over-lapped relation in the opened'and closed positions of said switch, whereby said other arm of said lever prevents unlocking movement of said catch supporting arm in the closed position of said switch and said catch supporting arm'prcvents movement of said lever in a direction which will close said switch in the unlocked position of said catch supporting arm.

2. In an electric elevator, a shaft, a car working thereilndooi's for closing the door openings in said shaft, a slidable latch bar for each door, an arm mounted on the elevatorshaft'for swinging movement towards and away from the end of said latch bar, a catch mounted on said arm and adapted to move into engagement with said latch bar when the arm is swung rearwardly under pressure ofsaid bar, a switch adapted to make and break an electric circuit controlling the operation of the elevator car, and a movably mounted member in position to cooperate with the free end of said catch supporting arm, one element of said switch being stationary and the other element thereof being mounted on said-movably mounted member for movement therewith into and out of engagement with said stationary switch element, said catch supporting arm and said switch supporting member having portions that cooperate with each other in the opened and closed positions of said switch, whereby said switch carrying member prevents unlocking movement of said catch supporting arm in the closed position catch mounted on said armtand adapted to interlock with said latch bar when the arm moves rearwardly under pressureof said latch bar, a lever mounted on said shaft for swinging movement on an axis disposed at right angles to the axis of the catch supporting arm, and a switch adapted to make and break an electric circuit controlling the operation of the elevator car, one element of said switch being stationary and the other element'being mounted onone arm of said lever for movement therewith into andout of engagement with said stationary element, the free end of said catch supporting arm and the other arm of said lever being disposed in overlapped relation in the opened and closed positions of said switch, whereby of said switch and said catch supporting said catch carrying arm prevents movement of said lever to a position which will close said switch until after the catch carrying arm has moved to locking position, and said other arm of said leverprevents unlocking movement of saidcatch supporting arm un til after said lever has moved into position to close saidswitch. V

v4. In ancelectric. elevator, a shaft, a car working. therein, doors for closing the' door openings in-said shaft, a latch bar for each door, an armmounted for swinging move ment towards and away from the endof said latch bar, a catch mounted'on said arm and adapted to move into engagement with said latch bar when the same is moved to. latched position, a switch for making and i breaking an electric circuit for controlling,

the operation of the elevator car, and a le ver mounted for swinging movement on an axis disposed at right angles to the axisof move into the path of said lever to prevent movement thereof in a direction which will close said switch.

5. In an electric elevator, a shaft, doors for closing the door openings in said shaft, a latch bar for each door, a lock casing secured to the shaft adjacent to said latch bar, a member mounted in said casing for movement towards and away from said latch bar, a catch mounted on said member and adapted to move into interlocking engagement with said latch bar when the latter is pressed against said member and moves it rearwardly, said catch supporting member having a pin projecting therefrom through a slot provided therefor in the adjacent wall of said lock casing,and a member mounted for sliding movement adjacent to said wall of said casing, said door cooperating with said slidable member to move the latter clear of the pin on the catch supporting member in the closed position of said door and to permit said member to move across the end of said pin in the open position of said door to prevent rearward movement of'said catch supporting member when the door is opened and the catch supporting member is moved forward to unlocked position.

' 6. In an electric elevator, a shaft, doors for closing the door openings in said shaft, a spring projected latch bar for each door, a

lock casing secured to the shaft opposite the end of said latch bar, an arm pivotally mounted in said casing forswinging move -ment towards and away from the end of said latch bar, a catch pivotally mounted on said arm and adapted to move into interlocking engagement with said latch bar when the latter is pressed against said arm and swings it rearwardly, said arm having a pin pro-f jecting rearwardly therefrom through a slot provided therefor in the adjacent wall of said lock casing, andxa bar mounted for slid- 'ing movement opposite said wallv of said casing, said door cooperating withsaids'lidable bar to move thelatter clear of the pin on the catch supporting arinin the'closed position of said door and'to permit said bar to move across the end of the pin on said catch supporting arm in the open position of said door to prevent rearward swinging movement of said catch supporting arm when the dooriis opened and the catch sup porting arm is swung forward to unlocked position. I c

7. In an electric elevator, a shaft, vertically sliding doors for closing the door open ings in said shaft, a-liorizontally slidable spring projected latch. bar for each door, a lock casing secured to the shaft opposite the outer end of said latch bar, an-arm pivotally mounted in said casing for vertically swinging movement towards-and away from said end of said latch bar, a catch pivotally mounted on said arm and adapted to move into interlocking engagement with said latch bar when the latter is pressed against said arm and swings t rearwardly, said arm havthrough a slot provided therefor in the adjacent wall of said lock casing, and an up right bar having a slot-and-pin connection with said wall of said casing, said door having a horizontally projecting arin'coopen ating with said bar to move the same into position with the slot thereof located oppo site the pinon the catch supporting arm ,ing a pin projecting rearwardly therefrom when the door is closed and to permit said swinging movement towards and away from the end of said latch bar, a catch pivotally mounted on said arm and adapted to move 7 into interlocking engagement with said end of said latch bar when the latter is pressed against said arm and swings it rearwardly, said arm having a pin projecting rearwardly therefrom through a slot provided therefor in theadjacent wall of said lock casing, and an upright bar having slot-and-pin connections with said wall of said casing and said elevator shaft adapted toperinit said bar to move'into a positionwith the slot of the slot-and-pin connection betweenthe bar and lock casing in register with the end of the I pin on said lock casing and'into a position with the body portion of the uiislotted portion of said bar opposite said end of said pin, said door being provided with a door i arm adapted during the closingmovement of said door to lift said bar'and bring the unslotted portion thereof opposite the end of said pin. I

9. In an electric elevator, a shaft, vertically sliding doors for closing the door openings in said shaft, a horizontally slidable spring projected latch bar for each door, a lock casing secured to the shaft opposite the outer end. of said latch bar, an arm pivotally mounted in said casing for Vertically swinging movement towards and away from the end of said latch bar, a catch pivotally mounted on said arm and adapted to move into interlocking engagement with said end of said latch barwhen the latter is pressed against said arm and swings it rearwardly said arm having a pin projecting rearwardly therefrom through a slot provided therefor in the adjacent wall of said lock casing, and

an upright bar having sl0t-and-pin connections with said wall of said casing and said elevator shaft adapted to permit saidbar to move into a position with the slot of the slot-and-pin connection between the bar and lock casing in registerwith the end of the pin on said lock casing and into a position with the body portion of the unslotted'portion' of said bar opposite said end of said pin, said door being provided with a door arm adapted during the closing movement of saiddoor to lift said bar and bring the unslotted portion thereof opposite the end of said pin, said door arm cooperating with said bar in the opened position of the door to prevent said bar from being moved into a position with its slotted portion in register with the end of the pin on said catch supporting arm.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 16th day of May, 1928.

JULIUS SOHWEIG. 

